New Delhi: India’s plans to add 80 GW of thermal power by 2031-32 will entail an expenditure of Rs 6.67 lakh crore, said Minister of State (MoS) for Power Shripad Yesso Naik on Thursday. “In order to meet the estimated electricity demand by the year 2031-32, generation planning studies have been carried out by Central Electricity Authority (CEA). As per the study results, it is envisaged that to meet the base load requirement of the country in 2032, the required coal & lignite based installed capacity would be 283 GW against the present installed capacity of 217.5 GW. Considering this, Government of India proposes to set up an additional minimum 80 GW coal-based capacity by 2031-32,” said the minister in a written response to a question raised in the Lok Sabha.
“The estimated capital cost for setting up of new coal-based thermal capacity as considered in National Electricity Plan is Rs 8.34 cr/ MW (at 2021-22 price level). Hence, the thermal capacity addition is expected to entail an expenditure of minimum Rs. 6,67,200 Crs by 2031-32,” said Naik.
India’s power demand is poised to grow several times and to meet this demand, India is planning to add 80 GW of thermal power by 2032. The Union Budget for 2024-25, unveiled two days ago, has placed a lot of emphasis on the development of efficient thermal power plants which employ the Advanced Ultra Super Critical (AUSC) technology. “The development of indigenous technology for Advanced Ultra Super Critical (AUSC) thermal power plants with much higher efficiency has been completed,” Finance Minister Niramal Sitharaman had said in her Budget speech. A joint venture between NTPC and BHEL will set up a full-scale 800 MW commercial plant using AUSC technology. The government will provide the required fiscal support, said the minister.
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